NASA
Filaments of extremely hot gas and magnetic fields weave a tapestry of energy at the center of the Milky Way.
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(CNN) –
NASA He released an image detailing the unprecedented “violent energy” at the center of our galaxy, created after two decades of research.
The stunning panorama was collected using data from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.
The image also documents an X-ray thread known as G0.17-0.41 which the researchers say suggests a mechanism that could control the flow of energy, and even the evolution of the Milky Way.
“A galaxy is like an ecosystem,” explained Amherst University of Massachusetts astronomer Daniel Wang in a statement. “We know that the center of the galaxy is a workplace and played a huge role in its evolution.”
Our galaxy is difficult to study because it is covered in a mist of gas and dust. But the researchers managed to break through the fog using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which sees X-rays, not visible light.
Research published in journal Monthly Notice from the Royal Astronomical Society, The clearest image so far of a pair of X-ray columns coming from the region near the black hole at the galactic center.
The researchers were particularly interested in the X-ray thread G0.17-0.41, which, according to Wang, “revealed a new phenomenon.”
“This is evidence of a continuous magnetic field reconnection event.” Wang wrote that the thread may represent “only the tip of the iceberg of reconnecting”.
Magnetic field reconnection events occur when opposing magnetic fields are forced together and combined, releasing a lot of energy. These events are generated by the Northern Lights and are responsible for phenomena such as solar flares.
“This is a violent process,” Wang said.
Scientists now believe that magnetic reconnection also occurs in interstellar space and occurs at the outer boundary of the expanding column that extends outward from the center of our galaxy.
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